Leicester allen



1titehl-tstrsetnt @ffice LEICESTER ALLEN, 0F NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF ANI) SOLOMON l). SMITH, OF WATE'RFORD, N. Y,

Letters Patent No. 75,342, dated farct 10, ISGS.

IMPROVEMENT IN FLUID-METERS..

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that LLEICES'IER ALLEN, ot New vYork, in the county of New York, and State of New York, have invented a new and improved Fluid-Meter; und I do hereby declaro the following t0 be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of lthis specification, and in whichl Figure 1 is a plan of my invention, as seen when the part A of the case or shell is removed.

Figure 2 is a cross-section of my invention through the line :r of 1; and

Figure 3 is a similar section througlrthe line x of fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

In this invention a piston is balanced by a spring in such a manner that the piston, actuated bythe How of water, will open a valve, and give free passage to the watcrins long as there is no back iiow, and, when there is any back action, will close, or partially clos..` the valve, and stop the flow. A registering-apparatus records the amount that has passed through Ythe v alve. Y

n the drawings, A A A repr'escntthe different-pieces'\vl1ich, being screwed together as indicated by the serrated lines, form the'case or shell whichrencloses the working-mechanism ofthe meter. Its interior is divided into two nearly equal chambers, B and Bf, by means of a partition, a. The water flows into-the meter through the pipe E, enters the chamber B, passes thence, through the opening b, into the chamber B', from which it finally escapesl through the exit-pipe F. In the chamber'B is a cylinder, C, provided with' a piston, D, packed tight, as shown at e e, and connected, by a piston-rod, D', with a valve, u, fixed to a pivoted arm, v', which allows the valve to slide back and forth upon the Hat 'surface of the partition a, and open or close the aperture b, which leads from one chamber to the other. A spring, s, is attached, so as to operateA against the arm e', and keep the valve closed, the force of the spring being exerted. in a direction from the cylinder. The chamber of the cylinder C communicates with the chamber B through a small passage, c, which opens into theY cylinder behind or under the piston, as shown in iig. 2.

I will now describe the 4action of the parts thus constructed. The water first entering the chamber B, finding the valve 'v closed bythe action ofspring s, and no escape possible, exerts its forceiagainst the piston D, forcing it down in the cylinder, and opening the valve v, by means ofthe piston-rod and arm v above explained. The valve thus being opened, the water flows through the passage I), lls the lower chamber B', and passes away 'through pipe F. As long as the cocks or taps are open for the water that passes into the pipe F to escape freely, so that a continual dow takes place, the water in the meter will keep the piston down inthe cylinder, and the valve open. When, however, the outlet-cock is closed, and the water ceases toow through the escape and begins toexert back-action, the force of the returning` water in chamber B is communicated through the opening c, behind the piston, to the interior of the cylinder C, where it counteracts and neutralizes the force of the water acting in chamber B, outside ofthe cylinder, andallows the spring-8 to resume control of the piston, and again close the valve-v. The force'of the spring is to be adjusted according to the head of water, so

.that when the pressure is equal on each side of the piston D it will close the valve, and when there is no pressure behind the piston, in consequence of the waten'sV escaping freely from chamber B through pipe F, the force of the water entering chamber B will overcome the force 'of' the spring and open the valve.

Such being the construction and operation of the main working parts of' the meter, it now remains too describe the means by which the'current owing through passage b is at all times accurately measured and recorded. This is donc by diverting from chamber B a small rill of the iiuid, which shall at all times bear a certain fixed proportion to the amount escaping through the passage b. -In the drawings, G shows a pipe through which such rill is conducted away, being fed from chamber B, through the small opening z', seen in figs. 1 and 3. The opening shown in the drawings, has a diameter equal to one-tenth part of the diameter of the large open ing, b, and, consequently, will discharge an amount of water equal to the one-hundredth part of the water passed through the opening b. Being made thus tobear a fixed relation in size to the large opening, it is situated in a direct line between the latter and the pivot p, upon which the arm e turns, and so arranged as to be opened or closed by a small valve, e, attached to the arm e', at the same time and in the same proportions as the large opening is opened or closed by the valve o. Consequently, when the passage I1 is wide open and discharging to its full capacity, the opening 1,' is the same. When the ,passage L is half closed-,the opening z' is also half closed, and when the passage is entirely closed thevopening z' is likewise closed.

In this way the water escaping through the pipe G will always he an accurate index of the amount passed through the pipes E F. By collecting it in vessels and measuring it, or by measuring it by any common meter, an accurate register of the water used in the establishment may be had. I'he amount of water thus employed for the purpose of registering the ilow' through the pipes will be a merc trifle, one gallon in a hundred, or even one in a thousand being sutcient when the meter is properly made.

In order that the back action of the water may not in any way affect the ilew into the pipe G, a chamber, J, is formed between the openingz and the pipe G, through which the registering-water is obliged to pass on its way to the pipe. This chamber is provided on its under side with a flexible diaphragm, m, which receives the force of the back action in chamber B', and communicates it to the water in chamber J, forcing it back through valve z'just at the same instant and in the same proportion that the water is forced back through the opening 5, before the spring has had time to close the valve v upon the latter. The direct back action of the iiuids in the meter is thus always rendered perfectly uniform and even upon all the parts of the instrument, enabling its Working and registering-mechanism to move without interruption or inequality from either cause.

It will be observed that this instrument feeds the water to the pipe F just in the proportion required. 1t' lthe person'who is drawing ed' the water opens the cock at .the faucet, so as'to draw to the utmost capacity of pipe F, the back action in chamber B will be destroyed, and the valve e will open to its fullestextent. If, on the other hand, the person opens the cock, so as to only draw to half the capacity of the pipe F, the partial back action will half close the valve '11. Thus the operation of the cock at the faucet controls and exactly deter-l mines the operation of the mechanism'of the meter, and the ow of water through the meter.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

` 1. The combination of the openings ZJ and z', with valves fixed to a pivoted arm, o', in such a manner that by the movement of the arm the openings shall always b'e proportionately uncovered or closed, when this `combination is used in a fluid-meter, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

2.v 'lhe cylinder C, provided with the piston D and the opening c, or their equivalent, when used in a fluidmeter, substantially as and for the purpose specified. v

3. The chamber J, provided with the diaphragm m, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. The arrangement, in a uid-meter, of the chambers B B', cylinder C, piston and rodfl) Di, arm v', and valves 11 w, substantially in the manner and for the purposes set forth.

LEICESTER ALLEN.

Witnesses:

Gr. M. OWEN, H. K. HEYDON. 

